"CATS roaming the bush aren’t feral – but “free-living” – and deserving of equal consideration to the native wildlife they prey on, NSW budget estimates has heard.

But it seems unlikely NSW Animal Justice MP Mark Pearson will get his wish for government to study the merits of desexing feral cats and allowing them to live back among threatened fauna.....Mr Pearson said desexed feral cats, once re-released, could prevent new feral cats hunting on their turf before gradually dying out – “a win-win rather than a kill-kill”.
http://www.theland.com.au/story/4143514/mp-wants-feral-cats-to-go-free/?cs=4941

Does 'rat-bag' and cats go together?

Anyone read 'They All Ran Wild' by Eric Rolls ? A good collection of how well meaning and intentioned folks released rabbits to hunt, then cats to eat the rabbits and so on. The debacle with our friend Senor Bufo Marinus from Hawaii in 1937 is yet another example.

In places like the lands adjoining Francois Peron National Park (WA) during the late 1990's there were over 8 feral...oh sorry "free range" cats per square kilometre and 2 foxes in the same area.

If you have a poor little kitty cat, lock it inside, get it sterilised and keep it away from our native wildlife.

http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=59916

Cats, both feral and domesticated cats, if allowed to freely roam, reek havoc on our native wildlife.

Small birds like fiches and king fishers are victims of such attacks and there is no doubt their numbers have dwindled in the past 30 years.

Roaming cats should be captured if registers and the owners fined, or shot if unregistered.

Just like a roaming child, its the parents that get away with blue murder.

The only good cat is a dead cat and its of no consequence what their domestic arrangements are.

Ian Hall: The only good cat is a dead cat and its of no consequence what their domestic arrangements are.

I heartily agree. 100 Ideas to do with a dead cat is a good book.

"Free living cats"! Ye Gods, how much sillier can our "authorities" get? They sound like the Batty Brits who want to reintroduce wolves into England. I quite like cats, but they have no business outside the four walls of their owners' abodes. Shoot as many as you can, Is Mise. It's a pity something similar couldn't be done to the irresponsible owners.

I too quite like cats, don't have one nor want one, but those who have 'em as pets, they must keep them properly corralled in order they can't get out and wreck the environment. We've two 'bow wows', a Kelpie and a Labby, and the same goes for them, keep them well controlled behind a sturdy fence and just enjoy them, without letting them roam around and uncontrolled, thus buggering it up for everybody else.

Yes I must admit one of my favourite responses to the question, "do you like cats" is, yes I luv em, but I've still got one in the freezer.

But seriously, addressing the cats is only treating the symptom, the cause is irresponsible owners and the way to fix that is a two step approach.
1. Mandatory de sexing and registration (unless you are a registered breeder)
2. Fines for allowing a cat to roam freely in public spaces.

Breeders should also be fined if they sell/give away an entire cat to an owner that is not a registered breeder.